Bloom's taxonomy and cultural diversity in modern education

Bloom's Taxonomy Of Learning And Modern Trends In Education: Addressing Issues Of Cultural And Learning Diversities

The issue of cultural diversity and its effect on learning styles in the typical modern classroom is a subject of increasing attention in the academic literature on the subject, and with good reason. Globalization has made the world increasingly smaller, and students in all countries are both more likely to encounter a culturally diverse group of peers throughout their education and more likely to depend on intercultural competency for success in their adult lives. Of the myriad of different learning theories and teaching styles that are described in the literature and practiced in the educational field, some are better suited to nurturing and utilizing diversity, as well as catering to the needs of a diverse group of students, while others are far more limited and less effective in this regard.

One major theoretical school in the field of learning theory is that of Behaviorism, which sees learning as a largely external event that requires practice and leads to the development of specific skill sets and practices -- i.e. behaviors. This is contrasted with the school of Cognitivism, which sees learning as an internal process rather than an external event. Both theories yield valuable insight into the learning process, and both also have theories that can be misused to the detriment of students, especially in a diverse classroom setting. An adequate understanding of the theories and practices to be applied in the classroom as well as the specific issues facing educators today is necessary for an effective application of learning theories.

This paper will examine the positive and negative aspects of utilizing Bloom's taxonomy of learning in the modern diverse classroom. Though this taxonomy began development over half a century ago, it has remained current and is still widely used to separate different areas and activities of learning in order to evaluate educational effectiveness. Bloom essentially identified different behaviors or tasks associated with learning at different orders of significance, difficulty, and growth that can be used to evaluate both individual progress and overall program effectiveness. When the taxonomy is properly used to guide education, a diversity of techniques, skills, and values become inherent to the education process, promoting and utilizing diversity in the classroom; a misapplication of the taxonomy, however, can be hugely limiting for the educator and the students alike.

Current Trends and Issues in Diversity Education

Collaboration and the development of interpersonal skills and effectiveness is seen as a paramount concern of modern education by many scholars and practitioners (Curran & Riordan 2006; Valke et al. 2009). Bloom's taxonomy has been shown to be a useful approach to the encouragement of collaboration and an appreciation of different learning styles, as well as a means of suggesting specific activities to encourage higher-order learning and cooperation (Valke et al. 2009; Page 2010). Other approaches include the simple expansion of the diversity of materials used in education, which has also proven a highly effective way of addressing diversity concerns -- especially when this expansion is guided by theory (Tyler & Guth 1999).

Diversity is approached very differently in different parts of the world, and even within specific regions and localities there are a multitude of perspectives that are being brought to bear on the issue that often have mutually exclusive purposes and effects, at least to some degree (Lasegaard 2010). Global disparities in wealth also necessarily lead to differences in the way issues are handled; the experiential and multimedia-based learning that has proven an effective means of training in diversity-utilizing behaviors is not as readily available to impoverished regions and institutions (Seaman et al. 2010; Tyler & Guth 1999). In domestic situations, conflicts have arisen largely out of ideological issues concerning the degree to which diversity should be catered to and its effects on existing cultural elements, but most scholars agree that an understanding of diversity and the development of proper interpersonal skills is an essential facet of modern education (Lasegaard 2010).

Several practical and experimental studies have shown that an application of Bloom's taxonomy in the lesson plan development of educators and, where appropriate, by students in their analysis and recognition of their own learning tasks, activities, and process, has definite benefits in creating more frequent and more involving higher-order learning and interactions (Page 2010; Valcke et al. 2009). The incorporation of diverse teaching methods and materials also automatically encourages a diversification of learning tasks and responsibilities, and these are enhanced still further by the use of an overriding theory in the diversification of such media and practices (Page 2010; Seaman et al. 2010).

Meeting Individual and Diversity Needs

One of the major issues facing education in terms of handling diversity is the need to ensure that all individual learning needs are met, while at the same time the diverse needs of the student group are also given adequate attention. Classes do not learn as singular units -- they do not achieve understanding and progress in their education en masse -- but rather individuals achieve learning, and often more effectively through group interaction (Page 2010). Bloom's taxonomy and an understanding of the basic principles of behaviorism can lead to educational practices and activities that promote a proper respect for and utilization of diversity on a variety of levels, promoting gender and cultural equality through a variety of interactions and processes that lead to higher order processes, skills, and behaviors according to Bloom's classification of learning tasks and types.

Many of these higher order functions, such as the evaluation and synthesis of information and knowledge, are largely dependent on interpersonal interactions, and thus the use of Bloom's taxonomy in developing higher-order tasks and learning activities as a part of standard lesson plans serves both individual learning needs and ensures exposure to the full extent of diversity that the classroom has to offer (Page 2010; Valcke et al. 2009). This also encourages the true recognition of gender and cultural diversity, rather than simply exemplifying a tolerance which has proven less effective and less lasting in creating a diversity-aware population of students and young adults (Laegaard 2010; Page 2010).

Promoting exposure to and experience with diversity on all levels, from gender to ethnicity and religion to culture, comes in many forms and is attended to by many different educational theories. Experiential learning, however, has shown to be one of the most effective means of promoting diversity, equality, inclusion, and appreciation amongst students of all ages (Valcke et al. 2009; Seaman et al. 2010). Though other approaches also exist that have a great deal of efficacy, it is through direct external -- i.e. behavioral -- interaction, and through consistent practice of such behaviors, that diversity comes to be truly appreciated and utilized as an effective resource, rather than seen as an impediment or an inconsequential feature of a classroom/work environment/society. This suggests why Bloom's taxonomy, with its behaviorist perspective, is so effective in assisting with the development of diversity-enhancing and -- promoting educational practices.

Reflective Teaching

This last element of diversity education also creates a place for reflective teaching, which is also directly encouraged by an examination and application of Bloom's taxonomy of learning. Analyzing student achievement with an eye towards the improvements diversity education is expected to instill allows for a deeper analysis of the teaching methods and perspective being utilized. The direct application of Bloom's taxonomy in the development of lesson plans and activities also necessarily depends upon the questioning and analysis of teaching practices, and the constant reexamination of these practices as student achievement and progress provides feedback to the instructor. Producing higher order learning and interactions requires a constant conscious attention to the details of learning activities and levels of engagement, and this places the use of Bloom's taxonomy -- for increased diversity as well as other purposes -- squarely in the realm of reflective teaching.

Conclusion

The basic tenets of behaviorism provide a simplified yet comprehensive avenue for addressing diversity needs in modern educational settings. Bloom's taxonomy of learning skills and behaviors also proves a near-automatic facilitator of diversity education when properly applied. Essentially, the overarching theoretical school and the specific tool of classification are both effective and enduring due to the level of attention and analysis brought to bear in their development and creation. The same type of constant analysis and adjustment is necessary to adequately and properly apply these theories and tools in the classroom, in order to promote not only diversity in education but also other types of learning and cognitive progress. Though a misapplication of Bloom's taxonomy can lead to limited learning opportunities and a sort of cultural stunting for many learners, its proper application can be highly effective in training tomorrow's leaders.